Surface treating appliance

Abstract

A surface treating appliance, such as a vacuum cleaner, includes a handle, a surface treating head and a support assembly. The support assembly is rollably mounted to the main body for allowing the main body to be rolled along a surface. A linkage is provided between the main body and the surface treating head and arranged such that rotating the main body about its longitudinal axis causes the surface treating head to turn in a new direction. The support assembly may house a component of the appliance, such as a motor, and may accommodate a fluid inlet for receiving fluid flow and a fluid outlet for exhausting fluid. The handle may carry the main body of the appliance.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]This invention relates to a surface treating appliance, such as a vacuum cleaner.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]Surface treating appliances such as vacuum cleaners and floor polishers are well known. The majority of vacuum cleaners are either of the ‘upright’ type or of the ‘cylinder’ type, called canister or barrel cleaners in some countries. An example of an upright vacuum cleaner manufactured by Dyson Limited under the name DC04 (“DC04” is a trade mark of Dyson Limited) is shown in FIG. 1. The vacuum cleaner comprises a main body 102 which houses the main components of the vacuum cleaner. A lower part 106 of the main body houses a motor and fan for drawing dirty air into the machine and the main body also houses some form of separating apparatus 104 for separating dirt, dust and other debris from a dirty airflow drawn in by the fan. The main body 102 also houses filters for trapping fine particles in the cleaned airflow. A cleaner head 108 is rotatab...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0007]The present invention seeks to provide a surface treating appliance with improved manoeuvrability.

[0009]The provision of a rolling support surface and a linkage which allows the handle to be rotated or twisted about its longitudinal axis, in the manner of a corkscrew, improves manoeuvrability and ensures a smooth transition between the forward running and turning positions. Thus, the usability of the appliance is improved.

[0010]Preferably a joint is provided between the handle and the cleaner head, which joint may be lockable in order to prevent the cleaner head from turning when the appliance is in an upright position. This feature provides stability to the appliance when it is stationary.

[0012]Advantageously, the support assembly is arranged so that the diameter of the central portion is greater than that of the end portions, so that the outer surface has a spherical or barrel shape. This greater facilitates the user in turning the appliance in a new direction. The support assembly may house one or more components of the appliance.

Problems solved by technology

Conventional upright vacuum cleaners have a disadvantage in that they can be difficult to manoeuvre about an area in which they are used.

They can be pushed and pulled easily enough, but pointing the cleaner in a new direction is more difficult.

While stick vacs are lighter weight and can be easier to manoeuvre than traditional upright cleaners, they generally have a small dust separator, a lower power motor and smaller filters, if any filters at all, and thus their improved manoeuvrability comes with the drawback of a lower specification.

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